However, in an unexpected turn of events, the newly-constructed house at Chhorepatan, Pokhara where Poudel and his family had just started settling in was completely inundated during the heavy rains last year as the land in the surrounding area started caving in.

The Poudels are not the only victims. Scores of houses built in Chorepatan are exposed to land cave-in risk as local people say the land has started sinking or developing cracks since last year’s monsoon.

The land in Chorepatan continues to cave in every year as realtors had engaged in rampant land plotting in the area located near Raniban, which is north of Chorepatan, Pokhara-17. Locals said that the realtors even buried seven natural river water outlets for the purpose.

While Damodar river with four small tributaries runs down from the southern part of Raniban, even the water from Tari rivulet and Phewa lake barrage flow towards the area.

“The land in Chorepatan and the houses built on it have not only started to develop cracks, but have also started sinking since last year. We cannot even comprehend the terrible consequences this can have on the lives of many people living in the area,” said Dharma Raj Lamsal, chairperson of Chorepatan Town Development Committee (TDC).

The area used to be a farmland before and the natural water outlets that grow in size during monsoon posed no harm to life and property. However, as realtors started engaging in rampant land plotting in the area and sold them to unsuspecting buyers, scores of lives are at stake now. According to Balram Pokhrel, chief of the District Land Survey Office, 30 plots of land in the area registered under the name of three people have already been sold to unsuspecting buyers.

While over 200 houses are currently under-construction in the area, a settlement comprising of over one thousand families live in and around the area. Locals said that they had been laying the foundation of the house digging as deep as 22 feet.

According to Hritunath Lamsal, outgoing chairperson of the Chorepatan TDC, he and his officials had many times in the past corresponded to various concerned agencies stating that the rampant plotting of the land (spread over 37 ropanis) in Chorepatan would prove disastrous. “But all our calls and pleas to do something about the problem fell on deaf ears,” he said.  

According to the Regional Administration Office, the authorities concerned have started surveying the area to find a possible solution to the problem of land cave-in and sinkholes following complaints lodged by the TDC. Stating that a long-term plan was needed to find a permanent solution to the problem, engineer Surendra Pandey of the Pokhara sub-metropolis said they could opt for a temporary measure to avert the disaster that lay waiting for them during the monsoons by installing proper drainage systems at the natural river water outlets. Locals have demanded that the concerned authorities complete the work before the rainy seasons to prevent loss of life and damage to property.